Southborough wastewater panel reviews Route 9 sewer grant application; $300,000 requested

The Town of Southborough Wastewater Committee on May 28 reviewed a grant application seeking $300,000 to fund preliminary design and hydrogeologic studies for a decentralized sewer system along Route 9, with the town prepared to provide a $100,000 match for a total project cost of $400,000.

The proposal covers a large Route 9 corridor planning area and would pay for site screening, refined flow estimates, a wastewater layout to accommodate future build-out scenarios and hydrogeologic testing. “We seek funding for preliminary design and hydrogeologic studies to implement a sewer system along Route 9 in Southborough,” Committee member Alan Hamilton read during the meeting.

The application frames the project as an economic-development priority tied to the town’s 2021 master plan and multiple recent studies, including a 2023 Route 9 corridor feasibility assessment and a 2024 wastewater management action plan. Committee members said the corridor’s lack of sewer infrastructure hinders commercial and mixed-use redevelopment and contributes to an imbalanced tax base; speakers cited a shift from an…